### Please describe the problem.

References of the struggle with more background:
- [https://github.com/datalad/datalad/issues/7608](https://github.com/datalad/datalad/issues/7608)
- [https://github.com/datalad/datalad/issues/7609](https://github.com/datalad/datalad/issues/7609)

### What steps will reproduce the problem?

```
$> (set -e; cd /tmp/; rm -rf ds002144*; git clone http://github.com/OpenNeuroDatasets/ds002144 ; cd ds002144; git fsck; mkdir /tmp/ds002144-2; (cd /tmp/ds002144-2; git init; git annex init; ); git remote add --fetch datalad-public /tmp/ds002144-2; git fsck; git annex merge; git fsck; )

```

### What version of git-annex are you using? On what operating system?

```
10.20240430+git26-g5f61667f27-1~ndall+1%
```

### Please provide any additional information below.

[[!format sh """

$> (set -ex; cd /tmp/; rm -rf ds002144*; git clone http://github.com/OpenNeuroDatasets/ds002144 ; cd ds002144; git fsck; mkdir /tmp/ds002144-2; (cd /tmp/ds002144-2; git init; git annex init; ); git remote add --fetch datalad-public /tmp/ds002144-2; git fsck; git annex merge; git fsck; )
...
+/bin/zsh:80> git fsck
Checking object directories: 100% (256/256), done.
Checking objects: 100% (4759/4759), done.
+/bin/zsh:80> git annex merge
(merging datalad-public/git-annex into git-annex...)
(recording state in git...)

  Remote origin not usable by git-annex; setting annex-ignore

  http://github.com/OpenNeuroDatasets/ds002144/config download failed: Not Found
merge git-annex ok
+/bin/zsh:80> git fsck
Checking object directories: 100% (256/256), done.
Checking objects: 100% (4759/4759), done.
broken link from    tree 4089998623737d39cd3f5d6fdfa89b164898e464
              to    tree ae2937297eb1b4f6c9bfdfcf9d7a41b1adcea32e
broken link from    tree 8ba58233cd121b97d5c918a6ba7c3a8c56fd38b1
              to    tree b78b723042e6d7a967c806b52258e8554caa1696
missing tree b78b723042e6d7a967c806b52258e8554caa1696
missing tree ae2937297eb1b4f6c9bfdfcf9d7a41b1adcea32e

"""]]

### Have you had any luck using git-annex before? (Sometimes we get tired of reading bug reports all day and a lil' positive end note does wonders)

there are good and there are some bad days ;)

[[!meta author=yoh]]
[[!tag projects/openneuro]]

> [[fixed|done]] --[[Joey]]
